18 Incredible Benefits of Playing the Piano

Many people would argue that playing the piano must be one of the most rewarding and fun hobbies there is, at least if you like music!

If you’re thinking of learning to play the piano, here are 18 benefits that might convince you to start!

1. Be Your Own One-Man Band

There are a few things that make the piano stand out from other musical instruments.

One huge benefit is that it’s so easy to be your own one-man band. You can play the melody and accompaniment at the same time. It’s true that you can do this on some other instruments, such as the guitar and the accordion, but to visually be able to see what you’re doing makes it easier on the piano, at least in my opinion.

This means that it’s much more fun to practice, than if you play an instrument where you can only play the melody or a single part. Especially if you are going to play mostly by yourself, the piano is great, because it can still sound really good without any other musicians.

2. You Can Accompany Others (or Yourself!)

The piano is a really good instrument to learn if you want to be able to accompany other musicians. Let’s say that you have a sister who plays the flute or a friend who plays the violin. Most often solo instruments like that require a piano part for their songs, and you’ll be able to help out!

If you like to sing, the piano is a great instrument as well, because it’s easy to sing and play at the same time.

3. It Makes Music Theory Easier

No matter which instrument people play, when they get to a certain level and starts to learn music theory, they will need to familiarize themselves with the keyboard.

Why? Because if you know the keys well, it’s easy to learn music theory such as scales and arranging, because you can visually see how it works. It stops being something you just read in a book and becomes something that’s real.

4. It Makes You Smarter

There are a few things about playing the piano that makes it particularly good exercise for our brain. One of them is to use both hands independently, which we never do at all as much as when we play the piano.

Another thing that we do simultaneously is to read music using the treble and the bass clef, which also is very stimulating.

At the same time, you need to use the pedal, turn the page, watch your fingering, and interpret the music, making playing the piano a real brain workout!

5. It Teaches You Endurance and Perseverance

When you learn to play, you’re going to make mistakes. In fact, even when you play really well, you’re going to make mistakes.

But there is something about making mistakes and then thinking about what you need to do differently next time that makes you a better person.

You learn that even though something might seem really difficult, it is achievable, as long as you keep at it and learn from your mistakes.

You also learn the importance of setting goals along the way, which is applicable to almost all areas of life.

6. It’s Affordable

The piano can be a really affordable hobby. Some people even give upright pianos away for free! And sheet music is easy to access online, as well as chords for your favorite songs.

If you want to save as much as possible you can even learn to play using YouTube and other online resources.

7. There is Lots of Music to Choose From

There is extremely much music composed for the piano available, from classics like Mozart and Chopin, to pop music.

A lot of orchestral music has also been transcribed for piano, which widens the repertoire even further.

Most music can actually be played on the piano with good results, which can not be said of every instrument.

8. You’ll Have an Instrument to Play in Many Different Places

Playing the piano is a skill that you never know when you can put to use. Since pianos are so hard to move, there will be pianos at many places for you to play. Coffee shops, airports, wedding venues, schools- pianos are everywhere when you start looking for them!

9. It’s Good for Your Mental Health

Playing music is good therapy and will calm you down when you’re upset and stressed. If you’re feeling low, playing a sad song might be exactly what you need, or maybe the opposite, you can play a really happy tune to cheer yourself up.

10. You’ll Have Many Potential Careers

Many people who work with music in some way or another start out by learning the piano. There are the obvious jobs, of course, like teaching the piano or becoming a concert pianist, but there are also some other jobs that require that you play the piano.

If you want to teach another instrument, it’s really useful to be able to accompany them on the piano. Also, if you want to compose and arrange music, playing the piano makes everything a lot easier.

If you want to become an artist, it’s also very useful to play the piano.

11. It’s Great Fun

It might sound obvious, but playing the piano is really fun, especially when you have been practicing a difficult piece for a while and suddenly can play it well. There’s a feeling of accomplishment, as well as the noble art of creating beautiful music, that makes it a very rewarding hobby.

12. It’s Impressive

Who doesn’t like to show off a little bit from time to time, right? People are generally impressed if you can play something other than ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’, using only one finger, so you can be sure that they will listen in awe if you play something more advanced!

If you don’t know any party tricks, then the piano could be it!

13. It Makes it Easier to Learn Other Instruments

This is something that is true for every instrument, really. I play four different instruments, and I found that when I was younger and took lessons, I would constantly encounter things I had learned at another instrument, making it faster to learn them all.

Music theory stuff, as well as how to interpret music, music history, and other things are the same pretty much for all instruments, so the more instruments you play, the easier it is to learn them.

The piano is good in this aspect because you learn to read both treble clef and bass clef, so if you ever want to take up the double bass or the clarinet, you already know how to read music and just need to learn how to apply your knowledge to that instrument.

14. It can be Incredibly Versatile

If you have a digital piano or a keyboard, you can choose among hundreds of different voices, meaning that even though you might ‘only’ play the piano, you can still achieve lots of different sounds.

This boosts your creativity and is perfect if you like to compose music, which leads us to the next point…

15. It Makes Producing Music Easier

If you’re thinking of producing some of your own music, it’s so much easier if you can play the piano.

It enables you to make your recordings just the way you want, and you’ll be able to do much more on your own, not having to ask your musician friends for help all the time.

16. It Makes You Better at Math

Scientific research has shown a link between math skills and playing the piano. Apparently, we get better at math when we play the piano!

17. It’s a Confidence Boost

Especially for children, it can be a really good experience to come to a friendly adult every week spending thirty minutes getting good feedback and nice commendation.

The first few lessons are usually way outside the kids’ (and adults’, let’s be honest) comfort zone, but after a while, they’ll have learned that it was really beneficial for them to try something new, even if it was scary.

Playing at recitals in front of an audience can also be a great confidence boost.

18. There’s Always More to Learn

No matter how good you get, there is always somebody who’s going to be better. No matter how many songs you can play, there are a million more you’ve never tried.

You will always have more to learn, which many pianists actually find very charming. It lets them stop focusing on how good they are and just enjoy the process.

You know, happiness is in the journey, not the destination, and when it comes to piano, we will never actually get there, because we will always have more to learn.

About Naomi

Hey I’m Naomi and thanks for checking out my article on the benefits of learning the Piano! As a professional music teacher, and experienced Pianist, I think it’s an absolutely wonderful instrument to learn. It takes dedication and practice, but my word, there’s nothing more satisfying than creating music with your fingertips! Hopefully my advice will help you along your journey. 🙂

About Naomi

Hey I’m Naomi and thanks for checking out my article on the benefits of learning the Piano! As a professional music teacher, and experienced Pianist, I think it’s an absolutely wonderful instrument to learn. It takes dedication and practice, but my word, there’s nothing more satisfying than creating music with your fingertips! Hopefully my advice will help you along your journey. 🙂